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The Great Outdoors

As I have often stated in this blog, my dream is to get most of my birds outside. Even if I am not breeding those birds, outside is better for them than inside. Especially since we live in California. No tornadoes or hurricanes, just earthquakes, and wildfires, which threaten inside and out equally.

A friend is downsizing (I love that word! Just can’t do it.) so I got three cages that belong outside, plus I finally managed to get Mike to set up the two cages I have had sitting around for years now. I have the main aviary, the airlock, the two outrigger cages that lead away from the airlock, and two more outriggers that lead away from the main aviary. Ingenious! Totally Mike’s idea.

The new outrigger cages.

On the patio, I have two cages with doves in them and one with a pair of quail. One of the new cages I got had removable legs, so it’s now on the grass with a trio of button quail. Another new cage has been set up just past the patio and now has my budgies. The last cage is in pieces while I determine where to put it, who to put in it, and how to incorporate the winter protection they will need.

Original outriggers attached to airlock.

One of the outrigger cages that just went up has our Indian Ringnecks, Wraith and Orion. They were very concerned at the change at first. At 3 AM the first morning after they went out, Wraith let us know he was not a happy camper through a vocalization that sounded like a growl. But now he just says his name and they both seem to be enjoying the new location. Wraith has always liked talking to cockatiels, and now he has a new group in the main aviary to get to know. Now if Orion just commits to being female, we can start breeding in the spring.

The second outrigger cage is a paradise for finches. I have ten or so zebra finches and four society finches out there. Like the ringnecks, at first, the finches were not sure they liked this new set up. But by the second day, they were flying around, bathing, eating, and drinking in perfect security. I put in a few nest boxes but they certainly will want a few more.

So the expectation of eggs and chicks begins. I have a nest box in with the violet lovebirds, and pulled the weaned chicks from the cockatiels in hopes they will clutch again. Surprisingly, it turns out Fin is actually a female lovebird and Rebel is indeed male. They are about to get moved into a larger cage and I might have room for a nest box there. I wonder if Fin will stay tame once she has eggs?

Of course, all this happy stuff has a less happy side. I now have seven empty inside cages that need to be cleaned. This will allow me to swap some cages around get back to a level of clean that will make me smile. And I can set up my grey singers and green singers with fingers crossed.